


Where Have You Been All My Life?

by oliveriley



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: AU, F/F, Tumblr idea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-29
Updated: 2014-05-29
Packaged: 2018-01-27 00:14:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1707800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oliveriley/pseuds/oliveriley
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A modern AU where just a simple thing can bring two people together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Where Have You Been All My Life?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sylverunicorn (sylviewashere)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sylviewashere/gifts).



> **Disclaimer:** All y'all know I don't own these guys, the series, etc, but to save my own ass I'll put it again.
> 
> This is kind of an apology piece for sylverunicorn/anyone who reads the stuff I submit to jonissheadcanons because I'm a horrible person and I write sad things.
> 
> Title from the verse in "Babydoll" (N*E*R*D) that goes:
> 
> _Roses are red_  
>  Yellow and white  
> Where have you been all my life?  
> Violets are blue  
> And I'll be too  
> If you leave  
> 'Cause I just met you 

She stood impatiently tapping her foot, rimrod straight and still in her uniform. (All she had was a black duffel bag... what could be taking so long?) After over a year and a half of deployment, the short but commanding woman has an entire four months to spend on home soil before she had to decide on transferring units. The thought was thrilling to her, really, although her studio lacked any sort of homey feelings to it; nevertheless, when the plane landed back on American ground, she had heaved a massive sigh of relief. Now she was just itching to get back to her apartment, getting some fast food, and lying in her own bed. The idea of her bed immediately had her eyelids drooping, and she fought to stay awake as she watched the carousel send bags upon bags around the conveyor belt. Stuffing her beret in one of the cargo pockets in her pants, Johanna reached an arm up to ruffle the back of her hair casually, tousling it in a carefree way that would have any of her commanding officers screeching. Fortunately for Corporal Mason, she thought with a wry grin, no commanding officers were here to see it. She yawned and blinked a few times, narrowing her eyes at the luggage and anxiously looking at the board that read which gate's luggage went where.

Unfortunately, part of coming home meant an updated eye exam. And so Johanna excused herself quietly and weaved through other people waiting at baggage claim, several of whom stopped her and thanked her for her services. She gave some tense nods and tired smiles, and hugged one boy who said he wanted to be like his daddy, who was in heaven now, but wore an outfit like hers. When she was close enough, she rolled her eyes and sighed. "Figures," she muttered, headed back the way she came.

 

\---

 

Her olive skin was glowing after her trip home for the summer. The country air had done the woman a world of good, she mused, as she stood waiting by the carousel for her bags. After working so hard during the year, pursuing her doctorate in environmental sciences with the goal of cleaning up her small coal mining hometown, the woman took the liberty of heading back to stay with her cousins and spend quality time with the place she loved. Gale was home, too, though he was after a degree in criminal justice. Her oldest cousin, the Hawthorne boy was only two years older than her and they were as close as siblings. They had the same olive skin, dark hair, and "Seam eyes," as everyone called the gray eyes that were common to the people of the district they lived in. They had the same accident that killed their fathers, and they raised their siblings. Her Aunt Hazelle was ecstatic to have her back home, of course, claiming that now that Primrose was gone, Posy wasn't nearly enough to keep the balance even. Katniss had laughed, though she was disappointed she hadn't seen her sister in a year, who was currently working in Guatemala as a nurse.

Katniss smiled to herself as she drew up memories of working in the summer garden that had been at that house for years, of swimming in the lake and seeing who could get the farthest swing from the rope she and Gale had used as children, and of bonfires with banjos and harmonicas and the crooning of crickets while the neighbors sang old bluegrass tunes and danced around the flames. She recalled the memory of twirling in a sundress, a rarity for her to wear, barefoot and laughing in the moonlight as a local boy danced with her. She had laughed when Gale sized him up, and blushed when Posy said he'd have done more than dance. Katniss hadn't been interested in boys, however, that summer. But that didn't stop her from stealing a kiss when her cousins weren't looking. She was embarrassed when she realized his girlfriend (which he had failed to mention) was the one she'd hooked up with at the bar in town a few nights back, and feigned a quick illness so she could speed out of the boondocks and back to the safety of her bed, properly mortified. That's the thing about small towns - they're _small_.

Someone pushed past her, shaking her out of her memories, and her eyes flickered as she reached down to grab her bag. She carried it in her hand, laptop case swung carefully across her body, and she wormed her way through the mob of people towards the doors. As she stepped back out - officially immersed in the busy city - and hailed a cab, Katniss felt herself blanch. The city air was too thick and too heavy.

 

\---

 

After a quiet hello to her haggard neighbor, Johanna stepped into her apartment for the first time in forever. She placed her bag of McDonald's down on the counter, quickly reading the welcome note her friend Annie had left. It informed her that her mail had been sorted and that the flowers had been watered. The woman paused there with a laugh - every time she came back from deployment, Annie bought her flowers for her small upstairs patio. And every time, Johanna could not keep them alive for longer than a week; but she always appreciated the sentiment from her oldest friend. Her eyes tracked the paper, which went on to inform her that she had a new neighbor, some nice college kid named Madge, and that she did _not_ let Finnick order her a stripper cake for when she returned home. Johanna sent her friends a quick thank you via text before moving to the living room, quickly shucking her BDU off and draping the jacket over her armchair, leaving her in her cargo pants and a white tank top. She toed off her boots and sighed in relief after peeling off her socks, sitting on the sofa and wolfing down her two burgers. Not even halfway through her fries, Johanna had fallen asleep.

She didn't remember laying down and curling up on her sofa, but she supposed she couldn't have been asleep for long, gauging the light that was still shining through her glass sliding door. The erratic knocking became more insistent, and a voice muffled behind it was clearly agitated. Johanna huffed, stumbling blearily to her front door and shoving a pair of thick-framed reading glasses onto her face. She threw it open and scowled at the other woman who stood there, awkwardly holding a black duffel bag over her shoulder and a messenger bag on the other. At the same time, the door to her right flew open and a blond rushed the raven-haired girl, crushing her in a hug. Johanna narrowed her eyes impatiently. "I-I'm sorry. I got the wrong door," the first woman offered, her face flushing considerably.

"I'm glad you called for me, then!" The blond chirped, and Johanna fought the urge to roll her eyes, instead setting her jaw. "You must be Johanna! Annie is so nice, she said you were in the Army. Oh, I'm so glad! You look like you could totally keep this city safe. Thanks so much for your service! I'm Madge!" Johanna's brows rose as she shook the blond's hand, wondering if she had even taken a breath. "Katniss! Say hello!" She admonished, and the taller of the three women jumped.

Johanna smirked as she dragged her eyes lazily down Katniss's body, causing a deeper shade of crimson to creep up her neck. "Hi. I'm Katniss... sorry I woke you." She offered her hand awkwardly, and Johanna took it, a smirk tugging at her lips.

"Hey, neighbor," she drawled, winking at the younger ladies. Madge giggled and Katniss scowled as her friend chatted amicably with their new neighbor. After another few minutes in the doorway, Johanna excused herself, this time making sure to end up in bed.

 

\---

 

The next morning, Katniss awoke to the sound of someone pounding on their door. She rolled out of bed and groaned, dragging her hand down her face and shuffling towards it to make the knocking stop. She cracked it open to see Johanna scowling through the crack, and closed her eyes and sighed. "Yes, _neighbor?_ " the woman asked, mimicking the way Johanna had drawled the phrase yesterday. Upon opening the door wider, her eyes flew open. "Where did you get those?" she hissed, glaring at the older woman, who leaned against the jamb casually, dangling a red thong from her index finger with a crooked grin.

"See... I saw your bag yesterday, right? Turns out we have similar taste." She let her eyes flicker to the underwear and grinned devilishly. "Well, in some things. Like luggage," she teased. "So I'm assuming _yours_ is full of some blues and _my_ underclothes. Which aren't as nearly as nice as yours. All utility cotton for me, I'm afraid." Katniss reached out and snatched her thong from the hooked finger of her neighbor, her face immensely darker than usual as she mumbled, allowing Johanna in the small apartment behind her. She went to her room and unzipped her bag, shoulders sagging. In her haste to leave the airport, she had failed to check the tag on the bag. And this one belonged to a certain Corporal J. Mason.

Hoisting the bag up and onto her shoulder, she handed it off to Johanna, who took it with a big smile. "Can I come grab mine?" Katniss asked, voice thin with both exhaustion and embarrassment. "I usually check the tag first... I... just..."

Johanna shrugged, leading the way to her apartment, where the smell of coffee made Katniss's mouth water. Waving the younger woman off as she went back into her own bedroom to grab the duffel bag, she called over her shoulder. "I do too. I was tired; long flight. And they _are_ identical." She handed off the other bag with a wink, and Katniss rolled her eyes to hide the blush that crept up her neck. Just as Katniss was turning the doorknob, Johanna bit her lip and tousled her hair again. "Hey!" Katniss froze, looking over her shoulder to see the woman looking more vulnerable than yesterday, in her thick reading glasses and a too-big Nike tank top and - she considered for the first time - an expanse of leg that suggested she was wearing no pants. "Would you wanna stay for a cup of coffee?"

Two black bags sat by the kitchen island in an unassuming way. Two neighbors blushed and their hands ghosted together. Two pairs of lips met for the first (not the last) time.


End file.
